Real Madrid preparing legal action after Barcelona corruption charges

Real Madrid are set to take legal action against Barcelona after corruption charges were brought against the Catalan club over its relationship with former referees’ chief José María Enríquez Negreira.

Barça facing corruption charges over Negreira payments

On Friday, Spanish prosecutors filed a legal complaint against Barça and two of its former presidents, Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, over payments the club made to Enríquez Negreira between 2001 and 2018. At the time, the former referee was the vice-president of Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), which governs officiating in Spanish football.

Enríquez Negreira told an investigation by the Spanish tax agency that Barça paid him to ensure there would be “complete neutrality” in refereeing decisions affecting the club. According to prosecutors, he received more than €7m from the Blaugrana over a 17-year period.

Charges have also been filed against former Barça directors Albert Soler and Óscar Grau.

Real Madrid board to meet on Sunday

Madrid sources have confirmed to AS that, following prosecutors’ decision to formally accuse Barça and its former chiefs on Friday, Los Blancos are now preparing to take action.

In a statement published on Saturday, Madrid revealed that the club’s president, Florentino Pérez, has called a meeting of the board this weekend to agree on the European champions’ next move.

Madrid said: “In light of the serious nature of accusations presented by the Barcelona Prosecution Service against F.C. Barcelona and two of its presidents based on reasonable suspicions of corruption and their relationship with the former Vice-President of the Technical Referees Committee (CTA), José María Enríquez Negreira, the president has convened an urgent meeting of the Board of Directors tomorrow, Sunday the 12th of March 2023, at 12:00pm, in order to decide on Real Madrid’s appropriate course of action in regard to this matter.”